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Kathleen Turner was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, with hit after hit in the 1980s, when she seemed to disappear from the screen. Now, she’s opening up about one of the major reasons for her absence: Rheumatoid arthritis, which caused debilitating pain and required medication that made her mind “fuzzy,” among other side effects.

In a new interview with Vulture, the actress revealed what it was like to work with Michael Douglas, Jack Nicholson and Nicolas Cage, but also how the diagnosis derailed her career.

Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner in "Romancing the Stone," released in 1984.Everett Collection

“It’s hard to understand the level of pain that this disease brings,” Turner, 64, told the website.

“Rheumatoid arthritis hit in my late 30s — the last of my years in which Hollywood would consider me a sexually appealing leading lady … At that time there was very little public knowledge about autoimmune diseases, so my illness was a source of bad mystery.”

The only effective treatment in the 1990s, when Turner was diagnosed, was “massive doses of steroids” with “massive side effects,” she added. She recalled times when she wanted to pick up a bottle and couldn’t grip it, so people assumed she was drunk.

Kathleen Turner in 2018. Bobby Bank / Getty Images

Some medications changed her looks and interfered with her ability to memorize lines, so the star of “Prizzi’s Honor,” “Peggy Sue Got Married” and “Romancing the Stone” found herself insecure at work.

After confirming the RA diagnosis with a combination of blood tests, physical exams and scans, patients are now prescribed disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), which slow the illness and prevent joint deformities, along with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin, and low-dose corticosteroids.

To keep joints healthy, patients are encouraged to walk and strengthen their muscles, but rest or gently stretch during times when symptoms get worse.

For Turner, who continues her passion for theater and is now teaching acting, it’s a time for feeling better and branching out.

“I’m getting stronger all the time,” she told Vulture. “So let’s find out what I can do.”